Fairy-Tales Don't Exist In This World
by Lexus Ladelle
Summary: In fairy-tales, there's always a brave knight and his noble steed that come to save the fair maiden from the fierce dragon, and take her back to his safe castle to live happily ever after. This isn't a fairy-tale. It's real life. No matter how brave the knight, how noble the steed, or how safe the castle, dragons will always be there. Lucy Greene has to find this out the hard way.
1. Pilot

**Warning: Rated 'T' for gore and for Daryl Dixon (and others)'s language (in later chapters). **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead... All I own is my OC (Lucy Greene), and my crazy imagination.  
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**Chapter 1: Pilot**

Once upon a time, there lived a not-so-perfect girl in a not-so-perfect world. That girl had a life better than most, but she didn't see it as 'Oh So Great' like everyone else seemed to think it was. Yes, she will admit she was a bit spoiled. Ok, maybe a lot spoiled. She had parents that adored her, and three older siblings that would die for her. Yet something felt off, it was like the calm before the storm. Now with all that in mind, I would like to introduce myself, I am _that_ girl, names Lucy (Lucy Greene to be exact). Well, actually, to be exact, I would have to include my middle name, but who cares. I'm not _always _exact, that's my sister, Beth's job. Confused by what I mean? Well, I guess it's time to tell you 'bout my siblings.

Altogether, I have three. The oldest is Maggie, with the flawless age of 22. She's what every girl wants to be, strong, fearless, loved, supported, and rich. Oops, did I forget beautiful? Yeah, she's that too… Bob-cut brown hair, that nearly match her dark brown eyes, and a face that _anyone_ could love… Yep, I don't know you, but I bet you're already jealous. I love Maggie, even if we don't share the same mother. Now, the next oldest is my brother Shawn, he and I _do_ share the same mother… Father's different though. Shawn's 19, and like Maggie, has brown hair and eyes. Maggie and Shawn are step-brother and sister. Shawn's the best older brother EVER! He always takes me to do stuff, like he showed me how to use a knife, and shoot a bow. He said that guns are next!

Then, we have Beth. She's 16, and with green eyes and blonde hair (that goes down a little past her shoulders), she's the only one that took after our father in looks. In personality, she's different too. Where Maggie, Shawn, and I are out-going and stubbornly rebellious, Beth is quiet and likes to stick to what she knows. When I said, "I'm not always exact, that's my sister, Beth's job." I mean that in a relatively good way, Beth is _very_ organized. Nothing is out-of-order in her room.

If you saw them together, you probably wouldn't be able to connect Beth with Maggie and Shawn, unless, of course, I was next to them. With my light brown hair (that reaches my rump) and brown eyes (that many people have told me have green speckles in them). I look more like Maggie and Shawn than Beth, but you can tell we're definitely siblings. Weird how alike, yet different we are right? Freaks me out sometimes… But Beth looks like Daddy. Shawn and I look like our mother, Annette. While, Maggie looks like her mother, Josephine. Ugh, I know, I talk a lot. Guess it's 'bout time to fill you in on what I'm up to…

Watching the news… Yeah, I heard your gasps, 'WHAT!? You must be an old person to be watching THAT!'. No, actually I'm only thirteen, and only watching the news 'cuz my father wanted me to let him know when the weather comes on. Why? Because we live on this 'Farmy type place' with a garden and all, so he needs to know when the next rain is coming through. And when I say 'Farmy type place', I mean an actual farm, with chickens, cows, and horses. With a few hundred acres of land that's been in my family for a little over one hundred and sixty years. Yeah… I think I'll stick to 'Farmy type place'.

My moment of being lost in thought is soon lost (or I guess you could say 'found'…) when something catches my eye on TV. So, being the ever so curious teenager I am, I turn up the volume. "-the authorities are still trying to figure out what caused this strange out-break. They believe to have nearly found a cure, but for the time being, we would like to advise you to lock your doors and stay as far away from any one with these symptoms: Ab-Normal skin color, multiple flesh wounds, cloudy eyes-" Guess I'll never know what the news lady meant by that, because, ironically, the power just had to go out… "Breakfast girls!" My mother yells from somewhere in the kitchen. Mmmm, I'm starved. "Hey Annette, breakfast smells good", I hear Maggie say as she walks to the table and sits down. Jumping up, I head straight for the fridge. Orange juice, yum. Walking by the table, I notice my father already sitting in the head seat, and Beth heading towards the table, from the direction of the stairs. Mom finishes dishing out plates the moment I'm pouring my orange juice, so… They're all waiting on _me_, well it never killed anyone to wait one more minute. As I go to sit down, orange juice in hand, I hear the generator kick on. The kitchen lights flicker on a second later. YAY! I could hardly see what color my orange juice is... Ahh, the irony. Don't ask me why, but we always get up before dawn, so it's always pitch black, without lights.

"Let us pray", as my father speaks, all of us bow our heads and close our eyes. "Dear Lord, we thank you for today. For our blessed farm, for protecting our animals from danger, and most of all for sending your Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross to pay the penalties for our sins. We ask that you would bless our lovely meal. In Jesus name we pray, Amen." An echo of 'Amen's can quietly be heard after my father closes the pray. While we eat a small conversation starts, but I can't seem to concentrate on it. All I can think about is what the news lady had said.

"Daddy, I was wandering, have you heard about this 'virus' going around?" I twiddle with my rubber bracelet as I speak – It's been a nervous habit of mine since I had gotten the bracelet from bible camp last summer.

"No… I didn't know there was something going around… Where did you hear about it?"

"On the news… The lady said something about how terrible it is. And that we're supposed to lock our doors and stay away from the people that are sick, till they find a cure. Said the signs that you're sick are cloudy eyes, uh… 'Flesh wounds', I think, and weird colored skin. Didn't hear much else, since the power went out…" It was quiet; I could tell everyone was thinking over what I had said.

"Well, that's just awful," Maggie says, finally breaking the eerie silence.

"Oh, and they said to lock your doors, and don't go near anyone that's sick, or somethin' like that," I say with a small frown. I really hope none of my few friends get sick.

"I guess it's a good thing we live in the middle of nowhere and its summer break…" Beth says with a small smile gracing her face.

"Yes, I agree, Beth," My father finally spoke up. Mom didn't look pleased by what I had said and just stays sitting over there staring at her plate.

"We should probably have Otis and Patricia stay over here 'til this blows over. Maybe even Jimmy and his family… If this virus is as bad as they say it is," My mother says with a concerned, yet confused look. The rest of breakfast is spent with nothing but the sound of chewing; all of us lost in thought.

As soon as breakfast is finished, us girls help Momma clean up, while Daddy heads outside to check on the animals. After the dishes are cleaned, I jog up the stairs to my room to change out of my 'around the house' clothes (A.K.A. sweatpants and a tank top). Entering into the last door on the right at the end of the long, spooky hallway, I see the familiar colors of my room. Brown and tan cover every inch of my room, from the walls to the rugs, from the curtains to the bed spread, my room is awesome. Ignoring the messy state my room stays in; I dodge all the main tripping hazards and open my even messier closet. Pulling out some dark jeans and a red plaid button up shirt, I start to change clothes.

Now, even though I'm only thirteen, most people mistake Beth and I for being fraternal twins. Not 'cuz she looks younger, she looks sixteen or seventeen. I just look older than I am, to me I look normal, but everyone I meet seems to be shocked to find out just how old I truly am. Apparently, with my hair down I can pass as a seventeen year old; with my hair in a ponytail, I look about fifteen or sixteen… Weird right? But I guess everyone is different.

I pull my jeans over my hips, and slip my brown belt through the loops, securing it in the front. I tug my shirt off over my head, and push my arms through the sleeves of my new one. As I finish buttoning it, I hear a knock at the front door. Ignoring it, I roll my sleeves up to my elbows, and slip on my old rugged boots. Hearing people laughing downstairs lets me know it's probably Jimmy, Beth's boyfriend. Man that girl is head over heels for that boy, it's cute and all to see her puppy dog eyes when he is around (Specially since he has them around her too), I promise myself right here and now, I will not let myself get so strung up on a guy that I forget who's around; like Beth seems to do.

With an over dramatic sigh; I walk downstairs as I brush my hair back into a sleek ponytail. Next to my Bible Camp bracelet, I _always_ have a rubber band on my wrist. Don't know why, just always do.

When I walk into the living room where everyone is gathered (Mom, Dad, Maggie, Beth, and Jimmy), I set my brush on the coffee table. "Daddy, can I go ride?" When I call him 'Daddy' instead of 'Dad' or 'Father', he usually melts.

"Yeah, just stay close, and, please, don't get on Nessie today. I don't need you hurt right now." Dang it, it's like he read my mind…

"Alright, I'll ride Cain," I say with a small pout. Cain wasn't as fun as Nessie… Why? 'Cuz he is tame, Nessie jumped at _everything_, and call me crazy, but I loved to ride her because every time she jumped and I _didn't _fall off, I learned to be a better rider. I wave a small hand at everyone as I walk out the front door. On my way to the stables, I stop at the chicken coop. We have about thirty chickens all together. Two of which are roosters, luckily one of them is really young so they don't fight… Yet. While still walking, I bend down and pick up my beautiful, hand-raised chicken. She looks a little different than the other chickens, considering she's a darker color red, and she's missing some feather off the back. She was one of our first chickens, and lost her feathers to a hawk trying to pick up the chicks. The hawk must have been young, 'cuz it missed the babies and hit my chicken instead. It wasn't big enough to pick her up though, just tried to. It pulled out a few feathers that for some strange reason never grew back. She squawks in my arms, as we walk. I stroke her feathers as we reach the barn, I set her down on a table next to the door of the stables. See we have two barns, one that's open on the inside, so it's kinda like a small arena; and one that's a little smaller and is just filled with stalls. Right now I'm in the 'stally' one.

I grab a small handful of oats and pour them in a pile on the table next to my chick. I know you're wondering if she has a name… And no, she doesn't. I'm bad at coming up with fitting names. So, I just call her 'chick' or chicky'.

I whistle, and all the horses come galloping up to the gates. We have six horses, all well trained… Well, except Nessie, she's still young and jumpy. I grab Cain's halter and attach some reins to it. Walking in with the horses, I slip Cain's halter on him and walk out; closing the gates to the walk-in stall behind us. Yeah, we closed off the stalls, but left one open for the horses to come into. With his reins and halter securely on, I use my footstool to get up on his bare back. Oh, how I wish I was tall like the rest of my family. Maggie and Shawn are about 5'9, and Beth's 5'6 or 7, but I'm stuck at the puny height of 5'3 so far… Eh, I am who I am. I give a light tap to Cain's side, letting him know he can start walking.

I call out a small goodbye to my chick, as Cain and I begin to walk off. I wave as I pass Otis walking out to the stables, where I had just come from. _Probably going to feed the horses, _I think. With a nod of his head he walks into the stables. I can feel Cain's excitement; I know he's just waiting for the queue to take off. I decide not to keep him waiting any longer. Besides if I don't hurry I'll miss Shawn. Clicking my tongue and kicking Cain a little harder than last time, lets him know he has his permission to take off. He doesn't waste a second, going from a walk, skipping a trot, and into a canter. I knew he was going to do that, I was ready for it. Most people would be caught off guard by the change, but Cain's my horse; I'm the only one who rides him. So he knows my commands pretty well. Whether it is a vocal one, or a physical one, he knows it. I've never had had Cain act up on me, he was trained when we bought him. Pretty fearless horse, never gets spooked.

We are running through the back yard, jumping the fence, we're in the pasture. None of the horses notices us galloping past them, mostly because Otis has given them some grain to munch on. Cain knows exactly where to go, racing towards the fence that leads to the woods; we bound over that one, too. Following the worn path to the road, we reach the edge of the woods. Slowing down, we wait. Wait for what? Shawn, he should be here any second. It's our unspoken agreement, that anytime he spends the night at a friend's house, like he did last night, then I meet him here; and we race back.

A honk of a horn catches our attention. We can't see him yet, but we move into position; and take off, speeding down the side of the road. Contrary to what you may believe, I'm not _on_ the road, but in the grass beside it. A flash of blue catches my eye, letting me know Shawn has caught up. Even though I'm caught up in the thrill of the race, I notice Cain's ears perk up.

One moment _we're _flying, the next moment _I'm_ flying, literally. I land on the ground with a loud_ thump_. _Pain_, it's all I can think about. It shoots through my left arm. Can't breathe... it hurts too badly in my chest. I guess that's what it feels like to have the breath knocked outta ya. My head aches, too. It's almost like I'm going through a mental check list of what hurts. Suddenly, I hear what sounds like a growl. Even though I'm scared out of my wits, I can't seem to keep my eyes open. I hear someone yelling my name. The voice sounds like Shawn, but it's strangely distorted. Am I losing my mind? Then, more growling brings me back into the moment. My senses are aware of everything and I realize my horse's hooves are thundering away from me. I try to whistle him back, but he's getting further and fainter. The growling, however, seems to be approaching. My head feels fuzzy now. Nausea is swimming in my stomach. The voice calling my name seems to grow more panicked, why is that? I'm confused, thoughts are swirling, mind is thick, dizzy, fog... _**My world goes black.**_

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**A/N: Cliffhanger... Dun, Dun, Duhhhhhn... ;) *****This chapter has been edited due to grammatical errors.* Sorry about that. I'm a newbie. -LL**

**P.S. I will be updating on Saturday. I will try to update once a week, but no promises! Please, do me a favor, and leave me a review! ;D**


	2. Why? Just why?

**A/N:**** Hey, so I would just like to thank y'all for reading my story! And an even bigger thanks to those that stopped, and wrote a review! It just brightened my whole day to read those! Okay, so it's Saturday just like I said... But I probably won't be updating next Saturday, I'll try, but I don't see it happening... I have **_**a lot**_** to do this week, and it'll be a long chapter. Sorry, but don't think about that party pooping stuff, ON WITH THE STORY! ;D –LL**

**Disclaimer:**** I own nothing… Not ****TWD****, nor the song (****Farther Along****) in this chapter.**

**Chapter 2: Why? Just, **_**why?**_

I can hear voices surrounding me. My eyelids feel heavier than bricks, so I keep them closed for now. Moving to a more comfortable position strikes pain in my arm and chest. Then, being the idiot I am, I find out just how much groaning hurts my head. "Lucy, baby, I need you to listen to me. You have some bruised ribs, a slight concussion, and the spot on your arm where you broke it a few years ago, it suffered a small fracture," My daddy says.

"Hershel! Not so much. She hasn't even opened her eyes for Pete's sake!" My mother scolds in a shaky voice. I know my mother is worried, and if I didn't open my eyes soon she would probably have a silent meltdown. Against my own will, I slowly crack my eyes. The light blinds me immediately. I pull my right arm up to cover my eyes, since my left one was in a makeshift cast; _that_ I could tell from the way it felt. Which means I'm not in the hospital, _why is that?_ My eyes soon adjust to the light. When I can see straight again, my view is bombarded by faces. First my father, then my mother, Maggie, and Beth. _Wait, where's Shawn?_ I must have said that out loud, because Maggie speaks up.

"He was puttin' Cain up, and then comin' back in." Ok, so if he's just now putting Cain up, then I couldn't have been out too long. But I am still curious of just how long.

"How long have I been asleep?" I ask, kinda already knowing. Awkward silence filled the air.

"Um, Darlin', remember when I said you suffered a slight concussion?" Daddy asks hesitantly.

"Yeah…?" Ok, now I'm confused, why is he so unsure? And where is he going with this…

"Well, because of the concussion, you were out for about a day. I was repositioning your fractured arm yesterday when you started to wake up. You were crying out in pain, so I gave you a dose of some heavy painkillers; they kinda knocked you out for another day…"

Huh? "Wait, so you're saying I've been out for two whole days?!" Ok, so I didn't expect _that. _Shawn must have heard me talking, 'cuz the next thing I know, the spot where Beth is standing is blocked by Shawn's body. Slowly, almost as if I would fade away, he walks toward me, gently nudging my father out of the way.

"Hey Luce, how ya feelin'?" Wow, that's probably the smallest voice I've ever heard coming from Shawn. It brings tears to my eyes to hear the nick-name Shawn had come up with. Cast or no cast, I lean forward as fast as I can and throw my arms around him.

"Better now that I know _you're_ alright." Which is true, I don't know what I would do without Shawn. We stay in our hug for a while. I don't care what happens to me, as long as I know Shawn's okay. He's _probably _thinking the same thing about me though. He always looked out for me… Always will, too.

"It's time for you to find that guy, like we always talked about…" Shawn says quietly. I laugh a little thinking about that conversation.

*_FLASHBACK*_

_I was only twelve at the time, but he was finally teaching me how to skin squirrels! He had taught me a while back how to shoot the squirrels with my bow and arrows. Now it was skinnin' time. "Lucy, the day you find a guy that can keep up with you, is the day the world ends!" Shawn says with humor lacing his voice._

"_Oh, such a compliment!" Sarcasm covering my words, then in a serious tone, I say, "But… You know I've already found a guy that can keep up with me…" I kinda trail off, hoping Shawn will fall for the bait. _

'_Course he does, "Wait, what?! Who? Do I know him? How old is-", I stop his list of questions by raising my hand and answering a few of 'em._

"_He's about eighteen. Yeah, I think you know him-"_

"_LUCY! EIGHTEEN! No way! You're only twelve! You're way too young-", He practically yells._

_Ignoring his ranting, I try a different angle, "I love him. Sweetest guy I'll ever meet." I think that shocked him into silence. So, I continue, "But I love him in a brotherly way, names Shawn Stanford, by the way." I say with a wink._

*_END OF MY VERY SMALL FLASHBACK*_

That seems like so long ago, but thinking back to that day makes me feel as if everything will be okay. Sadly, true pain finally registers in my mind, ruining my blissful moment. I let go of Shawn and with a weak smile lay back on my bed. _Wait, why would he say that? Me finding a guy… Shawn's all I'll ever need, so why do I need to find a new guy? And __**me**__ finding a guy would only happen if the world had ended; I don't see Jesus anywhere, so I must still be alive… So why did he say that? _"Shawn…?"

"Yeah, Luce?

"Why did you say that?" Silence. I nudge him with my leg to get him to start talking.

"Well… To explain why, I would need to tell you about your accident…" He says with a look of confliction, but in the end, my constant nudging wins his internal war of whether he should tell me or not.

"Cain… He must've heard somethin', 'cuz one second you were right next to next to me; next second, you were gone. I hit the brakes, and jumped outta my truck. You were on the ground; Cain was about ten feet behind you, looked to be frozen in place. I was running toward you, when this guy came outta the woods; he looked like death, literally. All his skin was like rotting off of him. Then, he started growling, acting all… Well, only good word is animalistic. I called out to him a few times, but all he did was growl more. Cain freaked out and started running off, when that man went toward him. I kept screaming at you to get up, had been since I'd first seen you layin' there. I saw you move once, but that was it; you stopped movin' all together," Shawn finally looks me in the eyes, and continues. "I thought you were dead. Then, that_ thing _started getting closer to you. It seemed like it took forever, but I finally reached you. That _man _was trying to attack me though. I kicked him in the chest; all he did was stumble backwards a little, before, without blinking, he came at me again. He was trying to bite me, Lucy! Not mug, not hit, _bite_! When he got up close, I was pushing him off of me, when I noticed who _he_ was…" Trailing off, Shawn turns and looks out my window. He seems content to just stare at our front yard and pasture. But I'm not.

"Who was it, Shawn?" I'm almost scared to hear the answer… Was it someone I know? Or better yet, _knew_.

"Mr. Fisher… He had caught whatever this 'virus' is; and had turned cannibalistic. His wife appeared at the edge of the woods a few minutes later. She didn't look any better than him, her skin was fallin' off. But, eventually, I realized, he'd just get back up if I knocked him down. So I backed away from you, to try and get him to follow me. Luckily, he did. Then, when I thought we were far enough away, I kicked his knees out from under him. Kinda like how I showed you, remember?" I nod a little to let him know I remember. "I ran over and picked you up, since you were passed out. When I had almost made it to the truck, I heard Mr. Fisher behind us. _Finally_ reaching my truck, after what seemed like forever, I set you in the passenger side as gently as I could with Mr. Fisher almost within arm's reach. I slammed the door, only to find that he had put his slimy fingers in the way… Those things aren't human, Luce. I know 'cuz his fingers just got cut off in the door and fell right onto the floor board! A _human _would have some broken fingers with how hard I slammed it… But didn't… Hell, he didn't even flinch!" I gasp, covering my mouth with my good hand.

"Shawn! _Don't say that! _Momma would have had a heart-attack had she heard that!" Just now looking around, I realize my family had to have left the room earlier, 'cuz they definitely weren't here, or Shawn woulda had worse problems than fifty 'Mr. Fishers' comin' at him!

"I'm sorry, Luce… It was just freaky! His fingers were on my floor board, and he didn't even care. He was just biting away at my window. I floored it. Speeding down the road, I brought you home as fast as I could. Dad said that you didn't look to good, so we called 911. They didn't answer at first, so we tried a few more times, 'til someone _finally _answered. It was static-y so we couldn't hear them very well. Couldn't even tell whether it was a man or a woman… All they said, that we could hear, was 'Hospitals down' and that 'noise attracts them', whatever that means." Wow… I guess I'm glad my dad has some sense of what to do when someone's hurt.

"Shawn, what does _any_ of this have to do with why you said that?"

"Lucy, did you hear any of what I just told you?! The world is comin' to an end!" He pauses for a second, running a hand through his short hair. "Dad thinks they're gonna find a cure, but I'm not so sure. If the hospitals are down, then I just need you to find someone that I know will take care of you, in case something happens to me…"

"No! Nothing's gonna happen to you. Daddy says they're gonna find a cure, and he's right! He's gotta be…" I start crying thinking of something happening to Shawn. Gasping between sobs, I reach over and pull him to me. As I bury my face in his shirt, he strokes my hair. I slightly hear him talkin' about how 'It's gonna be okay'… Yeah, well I've watched enough horror movies to know when someone says that, it usually ends in disaster, but I don't correct him.

I guess leaning over me isn't comfortable for him, 'cuz he picks me up and sets me in his lap. My face still buried in his chest, I slowly start to calm down. The slight click of the door lets me know someone else has entered. "Awww, baby, it'll be okay," my momma says, sitting next to us on the bed and taking over the job of stroking my hair. _What if somethin' happens to Mom? _I don't think I'd be able to live without my momma. Out of everyone in my family, I'm closes to Shawn, then Momma, Daddy, Maggie, and Beth. You would think Beth and I would be close, since we're full sisters; but our differences in looks, and in personalities, set us apart. Maggie though, she's like a second mother to me.

Snuggling closer to Shawn chest, my mother gently begins to sing to me. With her beautiful voice she sings her favorite song, Farther Along… A song I had sung on stage not that long ago. My mom always loved that song, that's why I sang it. Now, just 'cuz I got up there and sang, don't mean I have a pretty voice; oh no, I always made the joke that Beth took my voice when we were younger, and used it to make her voice better. 'Cuz I sound like a dying cat, where Beth sounds like an angel. The _only_ reason I got up there to sing, was because Beth was sick, and my mom had her heart set on hearing her daughter sing. And I don't care how I sing, as long as it gets my mom off my back (*_Cough_* and I guess makes her happy… *_Cough_*), I'm good.

_Farther Along:_

'_(Verse 1) Tempted and tried we're oft made to wonder_

_Why it should be thus all the day long_

_While there are others living about us_

_Never molested though in the wrong_

_(Chorus) Farther along we'll know all about it_

_Farther along we'll understand why_

_Cheer up my brother live in the sunshine_

_We'll understand it all by and by_

_(Verse 2) When death has come and taken our loved ones_

_It leaves our home so lonely and drear_

_Then do we wonder why others prosper_

_Living so wicked year after year _

_(Repeat Chorus)_

_(Verse 4) When we see Jesus coming in glory_

_When He comes from His home in the sky_

_Then we shall meet Him in that bright mansion_

_We'll understand it all by and by_

_(Repeat Chorus)' _**(****A/N:**** I put verses 1, 2, and 4. If you're curious about verse 3, PM me. I'll send it to you… I just don't usually sing it when I sing the other verses; it makes the song too long.)**

Slowly the song comes to an end, with watery eyes I pull my face away from Shawn's tear covered shirt and look up at Mom. With a sad face, she smiles down at me. "I love y'all," my voice comes out in a hoarse whisper.

"I love you, too, Luce," Shawn says, _trying_ to hide the tears in his eyes.

"Love y'all, my big babies," My mom says, joining in.

"Um, if you want your baby, I can go get Beth," Shawn says to lighten the mood. At first, it's silent, and then Beth bursts through the door, looking slightly flustered.

"I am _not_ a baby!" We all start laughing, mostly because it isn't a secret that Beth _is_ in-fact, the baby of the family. See, when I was born, Beth got really jealous. She was about three, yet she hated me for stealing the role of 'Baby of the family'. When I turned seven, I had had enough and was sick of being babied; so I dropped that title, and in turn, Beth picked it right back up. And hasn't let it go. Ever since, I may be the youngest, but I've proven time and again, that I can take care of myself. And I'm definitely _not_ a baby. With everyone's moods lightened, Jimmy finally makes his appearance.

"Hey, there's the Jimpster!" I say in a mocking tone. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch my mother getting up walking out of my room.

"And there's Lou-Lou-Lucy!" He says right back, without missing beat. Sliding off my brother's lap, I try to walk to Jimmy, but my legs feel like Jell-O from not being used for two days. _Hmmm_,_ Mom must have cleaned my room, 'cuz I don't see any of my clothes, anywhere. Wow… I have a floor. Since when? Okay, so I just found out, that joke ain't funny when you say it in your head… _Even with nothing on the floor, I stumble a little; but Shawn, being the over-protective brother he is, grabs my good arm and steadies me. Closing the final gap between Jimmy and me, I reach up and give him a hug. I've known Jimmy since I was little. Always thought of him as an older brother… Not as awesome as Shawn, though; No, no-one is as awesome as him. I was so excited when he asked Beth out, and she said 'Yes'. "Are you doin' alright?"

"Yep, just peachy," I say with a small, amused snort. _Oh, how I love sarcasm…_ Letting go of Jimmy, I lose my balance for a second, stumbling backwards. Now, I may be stubborn, but not as much as Shawn. He picks me up against my protests and sets me back in bed. Seems like no-one really knows what to say… But me. Now that I'm out of my blissful 'Mother, Brother, and Sister' moment, a million questions are flying through my head. "Hold up, if I was out for two days, why are you just now putting Cain up?"

Even though the question is directed at Shawn, Maggie walks in and answers for him. "Cain ran off when Mr. Fisher came out of the woods; just now returnin' home." Quietly she sits on the bed next to me. Feeling tired, I lay my head down on her shoulder. _So, Shawn told them the story about what happened... Well, what did I expect? Of course they'd want an explanation about how I got a fractured arm, bruised ribs and a concussion. Yeah, okay so I should have guessed he told them... _

"Well, as long as he's okay..."

"Actually, we're not so sure he is. He has what looks like a bite on his leg; bleeding real bad. Dad's gone to check on him," Maggie explains. I shoot up, not caring about my fracture, ribs, or head ache. All I care about is if Cain's alright.

"Lucy! Sit down, you're hurt!"

"Not now, Shawn. If Cain's hurt I need to see him. Now." Cain's my baby (Just don't tell my chicken I said that...) we got him when I was seven years old, so it's been about six years. He's mine, and I'm not gonna sit around while he might be in more pain than me.

"Alright, I'll take you," Shawn says a bit reluctantly. "Just put on your boots first; don't need you bare-foot out there."Looking down, I notice that my mother must have changed my clothing. I'm no longer wearing the red plaid shirt from two days ago. Instead it's a _blue _plaid shirt. Slipping on my boots, I stand with Shawn standing close. _At least my legs feel not so Jell-O-y now. _So, I'm able to walk without much more than Shawn's hand hovering over my arm; ready to catch me at any given moment_. _We walk out of my room, and down the hall way, all five of us (Maggie, Beth, Jimmy, Shawn, and me). Starting down the stairs, we see my dad. He's just walking in from outside. He shakes his head at me up and moving around.

"I suppose you want to see Cain," My daddy says, even though it's more of a statement than a question. I nod and lift my chin stubbornly. He continues to shake his head, as he opens, and holds open the front door for us to walk through. "Mom is already out there... So come on."

Looking out toward the stables, I start to walk in that direction, but Shawn grabs my arm and pulls me the other way; towards the big barn. When I give him a questioning look he says, "Hershel put him in the big barn, 'cuz he don't want the other horses near him. And it's easier to get to him in there." I nod in agreement, and head down the path that leads to the barn. It's down the hill a little, so I use Shawn to steady me.

When we get the barn in our sight, I see Momma down there. She's waving and smiling; obviously happy I'm up. It all happens in slow motion, as what looks like a man from this far away, grabs my momma's waving arm. It looks like she's struggling a bit. She's most likely surprised someone is behind her, since everyone is either coming down the hill or in the house. Her piercing screams echo in my ears as the man bites into her shoulder; ripping out a _huge_ chunk. I drop to my knees, as Shawn takes off running toward mom.

Instead of going right to her, he runs around her and grabs one of the many shovels that we keep propped up against the side of the barn. Shawn comes up behind the man that has, currently, taken about three or four huge bites outta my momma's shoulder and neck. He grabs him and throws him on the ground, I watch as my mother slumps to the grass as the man's grip is taken away from her body.

Looking back over at Shawn, I see him fighting with that thing; _it just won't stay down_... Finally he uses the shovel to knock its feet out from under it. Then, he takes the shovel and positions it over the man's neck (much like someone would do a snake). Slamming it down, he cuts it clean off. The crunch of the shovel brings me out of my shock.

I jump up and run to my mom, thanking the Lord my legs feel better. I can't count how many bite marks she has, 'cuz she's losin' too much blood. Tears are streaming down her face, almost matching the amount of blood. Looking around, I see I'm the only one here with her. I sit down and pull her head into my lap, and stroke her hair soothingly. I cry as I get soaked with her blood. Now, my blue shirt has a not-so-pretty red on the front of it.

"Shhh, Lucy... Don't cry." I can hear just how close to death she is by how weak her voice sounds. Call me a 'Kiss-Up'; call me a 'Suck-Up', I don't care... I've always been a 'Momma's Girl'. Always doing as she told me, I ain't about to disobey now. Even though hearing her trying to comfort me while she sounds so weak, makes me want to cry more; I hold it in. I can't stop the silent tears running down my face, but I can hide them from her.

If these really are her last minutes, like I think they are, then I'm gonna say what all those people in the movies don't get to. "I love you, Momma. You've always been my role-model; my hero. I don't want to say good bye, but if it's your time to go... I ain't gonna keep you in this sour world." It pains me to think of my momma actually dying, but I need her to think that I'll be okay.

Sometime during my little speech, Shawn sank to his knees beside me. "I love both of you... so much... And Hershel... Beth... Maggie..." Her breathes are coming out in gasps now, and by how stained my clothes are, she has lost _a lot_ of blood.

"Mom, you can't leave us! We need you! Mom!" Beth's shrilly voice pieces my ears. She tries to pull Mom outta my lap and grasp, but I send her a death glare and don't let go. Mom closes her eyes without saying anything in response to Beth. Shawn... Well, Shawn hasn't said a word. But for the first time in my life, I see tears falling from his eyes.

Maggie helped Daddy down the hill, I guess. 'cuz when they finally reach us he sinks down next to Beth. Maggie stands a few feet away, probably not knowing what to do; she loves my mother, but she ain't really related so... It's not really her place.

I watch as Daddy leans over and checks Mom's pulse... Or lack of one I guess, 'cuz he solemnly shakes his head. "**NO! **No, Mom, wake up! Mom! Wake up, Mom! Please, wake up!" Beth continues to wail.

I lean over; ignoring Beth's pleases, and place a light kiss to my mother forehead, before removing her head from my lap. I've never lost anyone so close... I think I'm in shock, but I don't care... its better than screaming at/clinging to a dead corpse, like Beth.

As I stand, I look up and see Maggie, Patricia, and Otis silently weeping together. Jimmy is sitting next to Beth, rubbing a hand up and down her back as a form of comfort. Shawn and Daddy, they both sit there quietly. Neither taking their eyes off of Momma's dead body. I glance at Mom one more time, before walking around the little group and walk over to the culprit. He killed my mother. Looking at his dead body, I see the symptoms of the 'virus'. Too many flesh wounds to count, a sickening green color coats his skin... That only leaves one symptom. I walk over to his head which is lying in the grass, facing the other direction.

_Can I touch it? Or could I get sick from that? _Taking my chances, I reach over and grab it by the hair. Picking it up I turn it around to see the face, when it's jaw starts snapping at me. Freaking me out, I throw it. At least I got what I was looking for. Before it started biting, I got a good look at its eyes. They were cloudy. So whatever this is, people are calling it a _virus_?! _There ain't no virus out there that makes you look so dead, and makes you eat people, that you could ever recover from!_ Even if this is a virus, I bet there ain't no cure... And probably never will be!

I still need to see Cain... As cold as it may sound, he is _alive_. Pushing the thought of my mother out of my head, I walk over to the barn; flinging open the sliding door. That's when I see him. Cain. He's lying on the ground, breathing heavily. I rush over to him. _What happened to him again? Oh, right, he got bite by something on the leg. _My mind flashes back to that man biting Mom. _What if-? No, Lucy. Don't think like that. Be sure, before jumping to conclusions._

Checking his legs, I find a dingy, yet white, wrap on the third one I look at. I tear it off._ Whoever wrapped this did it well._ Now I ain't an expert or nothin', but the teeth marks look human to me. Which, unless the bite isn't human (like I think it is), Cain was bitten by one of those _things._ I feel my stomach drop at this startling conclusion.

**A/N:**** Okay, so I'm sorry for leaving it there, but it was already a little longer than I expected so... And I would also like to apologize for Lucy's mother dying so soon, but I want this story to move along, 'cuz I got some things that I just can't wait to write! But I promise that it will slow down soon...**

**Important to me!**** I really need your help. My brother said he would read my story if I could get three or more reviews, but the catch is - You **_**have **_** to be logged in (So that I can't say I have three reviews, when really it's just me as a guest). So do me a favor, and leave me a review! Till next time... -LL**


	3. AN, I'm Sorry

A/N:

I would like to apologize for not updating last week... And also, my power has been going on and off lately (since ice storms are circling my house), so I probably won't update tomorrow either. It's a miracle that I'm even able to put this out right now.

I would like to say though, if I have _any_ time where my power is on (and I'm not worrying about it going out again), I will work on putting the next chapter up.

**Situation:** I have the rough draft on my phone; all I have to do is rewrite it on the computer, proof read it, and update. It would only take a few hours all together, but I just don't have time right now. Again, **I am truly sorry.**

**Kansas:** I love that you continue to review; and to answer you I have to be a little vague ('cuz I don't want everyone to know what I'm planning ;D). But, unless you log-in (so I can PM you), all I can say is: Any romance that Lucy has coming will be in _way_ later chapters. Mostly because even though Carl may be the same age as her, he mentally is not. If you remember, he acted like a spoiled brat the whole season they were on the farm. So, until Lucy finds someone that is her age mentally (someone who can relate to her losses), she will not be involved with anyone.

Okay, till this storm passes I won't be able to write, so I'm sorry y'all. Till next time... - LL


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